Donald Mallard
Donald Horatio "Ducky" Mallard, D.H.L. (hon.) is a retired Doctor and also the former official Medical Examiner for the NCIS Major Case Response Team led by NCIS Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs. In addition to performing autopsies on the victims, Ducky composes a psychological profile on any potential suspects or criminals that the team encounter, having graduated after taking a forensic psychology course. In March 2016, Ducky retired from his position as NCIS's Chief Medical Examiner with his former Assistant, Dr. James Palmer succeeding him. Biography Pre-Series Born in Scotland to Victoria Mallard and Joseph Mallard, Ducky grew up in Scotland. His parents presumably later divorced with Joseph remarrying a woman named Lorraine with that marriage producing a son, Nicholas Mallard who is Ducky's half-brother. He was educated at Eton College, and subsequently graduated from University of Edinburgh's Medical School. He also attended King's College, Cambridge for a year before leaving to go to medical school he started to study English Language and History. Ducky also worked with several other other organizations including the British police and also served in the military during the Vietnam War although whether he served in the American military is unknown. Ducky also served as a Captain in the Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC), a unit in the British Army. In 1980, Ducky worked in a refugee camp in Afghanistan and while there, he became acquainted with Polish born CIA interrogator, Marcin Jerek who was known locally as "Mr. Pain." As a result of this acquaintance Ducky was later mistakenly charged with war crimes for violating Article Four of the 1949 Geneva Conventions by the government of Afghanistan. Jerek tortured an innocent man who would then be sent to Ducky for medical care. Under stress, Ducky eventually made the decision to end the young man's suffering by giving him an overdose of morphine which apparently caused his death, a decision which would haunt Ducky for years. After his time in Afghanistan, Ducky presumably headed to the United States where he joined NCIS. While there, he worked a series of cases under the guidance of the Medical Examiner, Dr. Walter Magnus. Once Magnus retired, Ducky became his successor and has continued to hold the position of M.E. to this day. JAG Season 8 Ducky made his debut appearance in the JAG Season 8/NCIS backdoor pilot episode, Ice Queen (episode) where he was first seen examining the body of a woman that had been at a tree in Potomac Park. NCIS Season 1 NCIS Season 2 NCIS Season 3 NCIS Season 4 NCIS Season 5 NCIS Season 6 NCIS Season 7 NCIS Season 8 NCIS Season 9 NCIS Season 10 NCIS Season 11 NCIS Season 12 NCIS Season 13 NCIS: New Orleans Season 1 NCIS Season 14 NCIS Season 15 In "Twofer (episode)", Ducky learns that his alma mater, the University of Edinburgh, wants to present him with an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters, which he receives in "Exit Strategy (NCIS episode)". NCIS Season 16 In "Bears and Cubs (episode)", Ducky announced his retirement from NCIS after 26 years. In "Silent Service (NCIS episode)", on Ducky's last day as Chief Medical Examiner, Director Leon Vance offered him a position as the new NCIS Historian, which he accepted. Personality "Ducky" is an even-keeled and soft-spoken man, given to long-winded, eloquent talks in his distinctive polite and formal voice. He is well-respected by the rest of the NCIS staff, in no small part because he is consistently professional and respectful towards them. Ducky tends to be dry and officious as he speaks, but frequently shows concern for the staff around him, and for the lives of the individuals he is called to examine and perform autopsies on. Physical Appearance A man in his seventies, Ducky is a rather short man with short brown hair and blue eyes. He favors formal wear, especially business suits. He is rarely seen without one of his many bowties. Whenever he's in the field, Ducky is seen wearing a coat that states "NCIS Medical Examiner. Dr. D. Mallard". Abilities As NCIS's Medical Examiner, Ducky is skilled at performing autopsies on the many victims that he examines with his findings often determining if the victim died of natural causes or if they were murdered. Ducky also has a Psychological degree, enabling him to perform and create psychological profiles to determine the mindset of the suspects that the NCIS team are currently after which has often come in handy. Autopsies Ducky's specialty is performing autopsies with his results often helping the NCIS team pursue other lines of investigation with Ducky himself often determining if the death of a United States Marine Corps or Navy officer was natural or murder. Psychological Profiling Having earned a Masters Degree in psychological profiling, Ducky is now capable of creating profiles in which will describe the suspect that the main NCIS team are searching for. Medical Training Despite being a Medical Examiner, Ducky's medical skills as a Doctor have often been a huge advantage to members of the NCIS team as he has often treated injuries that the NCIS team have often received in the field. Relationships Leroy Jethro Gibbs Anthony "Tony" DiNozzo Vivian "Viv" Blackadder Abigail "Abby" Sciuto Caitlin "Kate" Todd Ziva David Gerald Jackson James "Jimmy" Palmer Jennifer "Jenny" Shepard Leon Vance Eleanor "Ellie" Bishop Trivia *When performing autopsies on murder victims, Ducky often talks to them and tells stories about his life. *He rarely calls anyone by their nickname, calling Abby "Abigail", Ellie "Eleanor", and Kate "Caitlin." *The British Army's culture places heavy emphasis on the pride and traditions of its constituent regiments, featuring marches, nicknames, flags and emblems- all unique. Regimental nicknames are not shared, so the fact that Ducky was in a British Army unit nicknamed "The Regiment" strongly implies he passed selection for and served in the Special Air Service. *In Season 2, Episode 13 (Meat Puzzle) Agent Kate Todd asks Gibbs what Ducky looked like when he was younger. Gibbs says "Illya Kuryakin". This is a reference to David McCallum's role as Illya Kuryakin in The Man from U.N.C.L.E. television series. Appearances For a more detailed list, see Donald Mallard/List of Appearances. Category:British Category:British in JAG Category:Doctors Category:English Category:English in JAG Category:Main Characters Category:Medical Examiners Category:Recurring Characters in JAG Category:Scottish Category:Scottish in JAG